Someone forgot to tell the restaurant industry that December is supposed to be a slow news month.

Of the recent flurry of chef shuffles - Oliveto, Cafe Des Amis and Redd all made news last week - perhaps none caused more heads to turn than the changes at Nombe (2491 Mission St.).

At the Mission District izakaya, chef Nick Balla garnered a cult following - and plenty of critical praise - in its year of existence. As noted last week, Balla will leave at the end of the year to pursue his own project.

Since then, proprietors Gil Payne and Mari Takahashi has named his replacement: Vincent Schofield, last seen cooking at Darwin Cafe and the now-closed Ebb & Flow.

The hire may seem a curious move - though he's planning a trip to Japan, Schofield has limited experience in Japanese cooking - but Payne says Schofield's understanding of world cuisine won them over.

On the Embarcadero, Waterfront Restaurant (Pier 7) is now under the control of chef Greg Lutes, who comes to town by way of Yosemite's Groveland Inn. Before that, he was the executive chef for 2 1/2 years at the four-star Courtright's in Chicago. He tells Scoop he's a big hiker, so the Groveland gig was good for a while, but he simply missed the city. That bayside view at Waterfront should serve him nicely.

Cole Valley's Eos Restaurant and Wine Bar (901 Cole St.) lost its longtime chef Daniel Guerriniearlier this fall, but as luck would have it, the new executive chef is Guerrini's protege, Michael Roon. Roon has been the chef de cuisine at Eos for two years.

Last but not least, in North Beach, Rose Pistola (532 Columbus Ave.) owner Laurie Thomas has brought in Mark Gordon to spark the kitchen. Gordon will take the same executive-chef title he holds at Thomas' other two restaurants, Rose's Cafe and Terzo.

Gordon is already cooking at Rose Pistola, but more changes are in the works for Thomas' 14-year-old North Beach classic. At the end of January, the restaurant will close for a 15-day remodel. Original designer Cass Calder Smithwill update the interior with new carpet, new paint and the like.

Tick-tock: The remodel at Rose Pistola is just one of many changes under way in North Beach. The biggest plotline remains the fate of two high-profile spots on Washington Square Park: Joey & Eddie's and Joe DiMaggio's. If deals never get done, it won't be for lack of interest in the spaces. Fact.

In the meantime, time's up for Iluna Basque (701 Union St.). Former "Top Chef" contestant Mattin Nobliahas finalized the sale of his 6-year-old restaurant to Frascati's Jon and Rebecca Rader.

Barreling through: At long last, it's time to pop the cork on Barrique (461 Pacific Ave.), across from Quince. Owner Jim Howellwanted to bring the winery experience to San Francisco, so he's concocted a fresh take on the wine bar: Pour wine directly from barrels.

Barrique will offer 18 or so varieties of wine, straight from barrels procured from respected producers. It's basically private-label wine, Howell says, with the aim to demystify wine. The barrels also allow Howell to eliminate the added expenses and energy of bottling, corking and case shipping, meaning the system is cheaper and greener. Everyone wins.

Despite the green light, McLean says there's still a ways to go, namely the tedious - if straightforward - liquor license applications. And the way the ABC is going these days, odds are it won't arrive until the second half of 2011.

The main impetus is to expand Magnolia's artisan brewing operations, which are currently on overdrive at the Haight facility (1398 Haight St.). The Dogpatch brewery will be three times the size of Magnolia's operations

The still-unnamed restaurant will be roughly the same scale as Magnolia: 45 seats in the dining area and about 15 more at the bar. But aside from a unified philosophy, don't expect the new restaurant to be a Magnolia clone - McLean wants to give it its own identity. That means its own menu, name, chef and sense of place.

"Magnolia is set in a Victorian-era building; it begged to be a classic pub," he notes. "This is in a warehouse in a giant building in an industrial district, so the vibe will be reflective of the area."